Speed-regulator.



Patented Aug. 20, l90l. J. STURGESS.

SPEED REGULATOR.

(Application filed Jan. 16, 1901.)

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JOHN STURGESS, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SIIIRGESS GOVERNOR ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPEED REGULATOR.

.SPEGIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters latent No. 680,745, datedAugust 20, 1901. Application filed January 16,1901. Serial No. 43 466. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN STURGESS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed-Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. 7

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures.

My invention is applicable to Various kinds of fluid-operated motors or prime movers, and is more particularly adapted to hydraulic motors, such as water-wheels, the supply to which is regulated by a gate or the like. Such motors do not respond promptly to variations in their fluid-supply on account of the inertia of the fluid and the moving parts, so that in regulating the speed of such a motor the motor itself cannot be relied upon to induce by its return to normal speed inaction of the gate operating mechanism after action of the same has been induced by a departure of the motor from normal speed, because he- "fore said inertia could be overcome and the normal speed of the motor restored an excessive movement would have been imparted to the gate, which would cause such a variation in the fluid-supply as to impart to the motor abnormal speed as soon as said inertia was overcome, causing almost continuous excessive fluctuation of the apparatus.

The object of my invention is to induce inaction of the gate-operating mechanism by varying the rotary speed of the centrifugal governor relatively to that of the motor after the governor in its normal speed relation to the motor and in response to an abnormal rate of speed of the motor has induced action of said mechanism.

A further object of my invention is to gradually restore the normal speed relation of the governor and motor after inaction of the gate-operating mechanism has been so induced without thereby changing the speed of the governor.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a viewin central vertical longitudinal section of a speed-regulator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same, taken on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a View, on an enlarged scale, partly in elevation and partly in section, of a preferred form of variable belt-pulley. Fig. at is a cross-section of the same, taken on the broken line at 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the parts shown at the right-hand end of Fig. 1, but showing a modified form of variable belt-pulley. Fig. 6 is a view in cross-section taken on the broken line 6 6 in Fig. 5, showing the centrifugal governor in I elevation, partly broken away. Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation of a modified form of variable belt-pulley. Fig. Sis a cross-section of the same, taken on the broken line 8 8 in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the broken line 9 9 in Fig. 8, of a portion of the same.

I have shown as a preferred form of gateoperating mechanism a gate-controller comprising a rock-shaft 1, contained in a cylindrical inelosure 2, having its axial line coincident with the axial line of the cylindrical inclosure and provided with a radial leaf-piston 3, fixed thereon and extending from the shaft to the cylindrical wall of the inclosure. The inclosure is also provided with a fixed partition 4, radial to the shaft and extending from the shaft to the cylindrical wall of the inclosure, so that such partition, together with the leaf-piston and shaft, divides the inclosure into two chambers 5 and 6. The fixed partition is secured to the wall of the inclosure by means of the bolts 7. The shaft is provided with suitable bearings 10 in the end walls of the inclosure. One end of the shaft projects through the end wall beyond its bearings and is provided with a flange 12 for connecting the shaft with the gate of the water-wheel (not shown) in the usual well-known manner.

Mounted upon the cylinder 2 is a cylindrical inclosure 13 for a hollow distributingvalve 20, the valve-inclosure being connected with chamber 5 through port 14, and with chamber 6 through a similar port 15, (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2,) and with an inlet-port 16, leading from a fluid-pressure supply (not shown) and extending around the valve 20, also with an exhaust-port 17. When fluid under pressure is admitted through port ltinto chamber 5, the fluid-pressure upon the piston 3 causes the piston and rock-shaft to oscillate the piston traveling in a direction toward the right hand, as seen in Fig. 2, the

fluid contained in chamber 6 being forced from such chamber through the other port 15 into the valveinclosure and from thence through the exhaust-port 17 outside of the inclosure, and when fluid under pressure is admitted through port 15 into chamber 6 the piston is caused to oscillate and travel in the opposite direction, the fluid in chamber 5 being forced back through port 14 into the valve-chamber and out through the hollow valve and the exhaust-port 17, thereby causing the piston to act as a rock-lever on the rock-shaft to impart to the shaft an oscillatory motion adapted to move the gate of the water-wheel or the like in either of two opposite directions to. open or close the same, and thereby increase or diminish the watersupply to the water wheel. The fluid under pressure can be supplied to the chambers 5 and 6 alternately by operating said valve in the usual manner. The valve is automatically operated by a centrifugal governor 30, which may be of any known form and connected with the prime mover (not shown) or machinery operated thereby.

In the form of governor shown in Figs. 1, 5,,and 6 inside the rim of the governor and pivoted to the spokes 32 are levers 33, provided with weights 34:, one arm of one of said levers being connected by a link 35 with one arm of the bell-crank lever 36 and the other arm of the bell-crank lever being connected by link 37 wit-h the sleeve 3-8, rotary with the governor. The outward throw of the weights may be controlled by means of coiled springs 39. The sleeve 38 is provided with an annular channel adapted to receive a ring 40, having on its oppositesides pivot-studs 41, upon which is pivoted the bifurcate end of lever 42. The other end of lever 42 is pivotally connected at 45 with the valve-stem 4.6, and the lever is fulcrumed upon the stud 4:4.

The centrifugal governor being connected so that the rotary movements of the motor will be transmitted thereto and the parts being so adjusted that when the governoris rotated at a predetermined normal speed corresponding with the desired normal speed of the motor a closed position of the valve 20 will be thereby induced, it will be apparent that any deviation of the governor from its normal speed will cause a movement of said Valve which will admit fluid under pressure to one side or the other of the piston 3 to operate in the proper direction the gate-shaft and gate which controls the supply to the motor. Any variation in the speed of the motor, due to a variation in load, will thus induce, through the governor, action of the gate-operating mechanism and gate to affect the supply, which would eventually cause the motor and governor to return to normal speed; but the abnormality of speed is not immediately corrected on account of inertia, as above stated. It is necessary, therefore, to provide some means other than the motor for closing the distributing-valve before the controller has acted upon the gate a suflicient length of time to open or close it fully or more than was necessary to restore the normal speed of the motor. The mechanism for accomplishing this result comprises the principal feature of my invention and consists of variable pulley-and-belt mechanism for transmitting motion from the motor to the governor and means for causing the same to vary the rotary speed of the governor in advance of and in accordance with a governor-induced variation in speed of the motor. As a preferred form of variable pulley-and-belt mechanism I have shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4 a pair of disks 8 and 9, mounted upon the sleeve 11, which also supports the centrifugal governor, said disks having their adjacent sides beveled and provided with grooves 21 and being adapted to receive between them a plurality of similarly-beveled pulley segments or blocks 18, which blocks constitute the belt-engaging portion of the pulley, adapt= ed to receive the motor-driven belt 19. The segmental blocks 18 are severally adapted to lit and slide in the grooves 21 in the beveled surfaces of the disks and are connected by the endless coiled spring 22, inserted through apertures in the several blocks and tending to draw the blocks toward each other and the axis of the pulley. One of the disks 8 is capable of movement toward and from the other upon the sleeve 11 and may be connected in any known manner with the gate-operating mechanism to cause the movements of the gate-operating mechanism to induce movements of said disk 8 toward and from the disk 9. Such movements of the disk 8 will cause the belt'engaging segments to ride upon the beveled surfaces of the disks to vary the effective diameter of the pulley, and thereby vary the speed relation of the governor relatively to the motor.

As a means for connecting the variable gear with the gate-operating mechanism I have shown a pair of levers 49 and 50, fulcrumed, respectively, at 51 and 52 upon fixed supports and connected at their upper ends by a link 53 54 55, the lever 49 being connected at its lower end with a nut 56, fitting a screw-threaded portion 57 of the gate-shaft, and the lever 50 being connected at its lower end with the sleeve 58, free to slide longitudinally of the sleeve &7 and connected by rods 59, passing through the sleeve 38 and between the spokes of the centrifugal wheel, with the movable disk 8. The link 53 5t 55 being considered as a rigid element, it will be seen that a rocking movement of the gate-shaft in one direction will cause the space between the beveled disks to be widened and the segments 18 to be drawn toward the axis of the pulley to decrease the effective diameter of the pulley, and an opposite movement of the gate-shat t will cause the space between said disks to be contracted, thereby forcing the segments 18 outwardly to increase the diameter of the pulley, causing the speed of the governor relatively to that of the motor to be increased or diminished accordingly, and this in advance of the variation in speed induced in the motor by such movement of the gateoperating mechanism and gate. The speed of the governor is thus restored to normal and caused to induce inaction of the gateoperating mechanism by closing the valve 20 in advance of the restoration of the motor to normal speed as a result of the governor-induced action of such mechanism. This link connecting the levers 49 and 50 comprises, preferably, a fluid-filled cylinder 53, containing a piston 54, fixed upon the piston-rod 55, the cylinder being pivotally connected with one of said levers and the piston-rod with the other. The cylinder being filled with a comparatively non-compressible fluid, as water, the piston remains immovable therein so long as the contained fluid cannot pass from one side of the piston to the other, in which case p the several parts act as a rigid element between said levers for the purpose above stated. The mechanism shown, however, permits of the expansion and contraction of said link by fluid-pressure applied to one side or the other of said piston. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown means for expanding and contracting such link consisting of a cut-off valve 75, reciprocatoryin the chamber 76, which is connected, as by inlet '77 and coiled pipe 91, with the pressure-supply port 16 of the main valvecylinder 13. The cylinder 53 is provided with fluid-passages 78 and 79, leading from the pressure-chamber 76 to the piston-chamber on opposite sides of the piston. The chamber 76 is provided with an exhaust-port 80, which may be connected by a coiled pipe 92 with the exhaust-port 17 of the main cylinder. The cut-off valve is connected by stem 81 and link 82 with a projection 83 of the lever 50. It will be seen that any movement of the connected parts which changes the position of the lever 50 from that shown in Fig. 1 will cause a movement of said valve 75 which will admit fluid under pressure to one side or the other of said piston and at the same time open the exhaust to the opposite sideof the piston and that the pressure so applied to the piston will cause contraction or expansion of said link in a direction to restore the lever 50 to.

its normal position and at the same time to gradually restore the valve 75 to a closed position. This expansion or contraction of said link is contemporaneous with the gradual return of the motor to normal speed, as the inertia of the members is overcome, and the expansion or contraction of the link causes the beveled disk 8 to be so moved as to neutralize the function of the motor to vary the speed of the governor as the speed of the motor is gradually restored to its normal relation to that of the governor. Action of the gate-operating mechanism having been induced by abnormal speed of the governor caused by abnormal speed of the motor and the governor having been restored to normal speed, and thereby having induced inaction of said mechanism before the motor has been restored to normal speed, it will be seen that the subsequent variation in speed of the motor in returning to its normal speed will have no eifect to vary the speed of the governor or to change the position of the valve 20, so that when the speed of the motor has been restored to its normal relation to that of the governor the several parts will maintain their normal relations until again disturbed by an abnormal demand upon the motor.

The gate-operating mechanism of my improved regulator is always under the direct control of the centrifugal governor, and the position of the valve controlling such mechanism has a definite and fixed relation to the rotary speed of the centrifugal mechanism at all times.

I do not wish to be limited to any specific mechanism for causing the movements of the gate-operating mechanism to actuate the adjustable member of the variable gear.

The expansible and contractible link connection may be of any known form movable as a rigid element in response to the movements of the gate-operating mechanism and contractible and expansible to restore the adjustable member of the variable gear to its normal position.

In Fig. 5 the motor-driven belt 22 is shown provided with beveled edges 23, adapted to directly engage the adjacent beveled surfaces 24 of the disks 25 and 26, the disk 25 being adjustable to vary the effective diameter of the pulley in the same manner as the disk 8. (Shown in Fig. 1.)

In Figs. 7, S, and 9 a plurality of pulleysegments 60, threaded upon an endless coiled spring 61, are mounted upon a conical member 62 and provided with guide-pins 63, movable in radial guide-slots 64: in the abutment 65. The segments are adapted to receive a motor-driven belt, and the cone member 62 can be adjusted to vary the effective diameter of the pulley in the same manner as the disk 8.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a variable pulley-and-belt driving mechanism for said governor adapted to transmit motion thereto from said motor, and means for automatically varying said pulley-and-belt mechanism at certain times to vary the rotary speed of the governor relatively to that of said motor.

2. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a variable pulley-and-belt mechanism for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor; and means for automatically causing said mechanism to vary the speed of said governor in accordance with, and in advance of, a governor-induced variation in the speed of said motor.

3-. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a variable pulley-and-belt mechanism for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor; means for automatically causing said mechanism to vary the speed of said governor in accordance with, and in advance of, a governor-induced variation in the speed of said motor; and means for afterward automatically varying said mechanism to counteract the function of said motor to vary the speed of the governor in accordance with the variation so induced in the speed of said motor.

4. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a variable pulley-and-belt mechanism for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor; means for automatically causing said mechanism to vary the speed of said governor in accordance with, and in advance of, a governor-induced variation in the speed of said motor; and means for afterward neutralizing the function of said motor to gradually vary the speed of the governor while the speed of said motor is gradually restored to its normal relation to that of the governor.

5. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a belt, and pulley of variable effective diameter, for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor; and means for automatically varying the effective diameter of said pulley at certain times.

6. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of mechanism for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor, comprising a belt and a belt-pulley having a pair of beveled disks one movable toward and from the other; and means for moving one of said disks toward and from the other to vary the effective diameter of said belt-pulley at certain times.

7. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a centrifugal governor for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of mechanism for transmitting motion from said n1o tor to said governor comprising a pair of beveled disks one movable toward and from the other, a plurality of similarly-beveled beltpulley segments interposed between said beveled disks, means for moving one of said disks toward and from the other; and a belt engageable with said pulley-segments, substantially as described.

8. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a rotary sleeve, and a centrifugal governor mounted upon said sleeve for controlling the supplyto a fluid-operated motor; of a variable gear mounted upon said sleeve adapted to transmit motion from said motor to said sleeve and governor; and means for automatically causing said variable gear to vary at certain times the rotary speed of the governor relatively to that of said motor.

9. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a rotary sleeve, and a centrifugal governor mounted upon said sleeve for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a pair of beveled disks mounted upon said sleeve to rotate therewith, one being fixed and the other movable longitudinally, upon said sleeve; a plurality of similarly-beveled belt-pulley segments interposed between said disks and connected to rotate therewith; means for automatically moving one of said disks toward and from the other at certain times; and a belt driven by said motor and engageable with said pulley-segments, substantially as described.

10. In a speed-regulator, the combination with agate or the like for controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; of a centrifugal governor; variable pulley-and-belt gear for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor; gate-operating mechanism controlled by said governor; an expansible and contractible link connection between said controller and an adjustable member of said gear; and means for expanding and contracting said link at certain times.

11. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a gate or the like controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; a fluid-operated gate-controller; and a valve for regulating the fluid-supply to said controller; of a centrifugal governor connected with said valve;

mechanism for transmitting motion from said motor to said governor, comprising in part a belt-pulley having an adjustable beveled member for varyingits effective diameter; an expansible and contractible link connecting said adjustable member with the gate-controller; and means for expanding and contracting said link at certain times.

12. In a speed-regulator, the combination with a gate or the like controlling the supply to a fluid-operated motor; a fluid-operated gate-controller; and a valve for regulating the fluid-supply to said controller; of a contrifugal governor connected with said valve; mechanism for transmitting motion from said motor "to said governor, comprising in part a belt-pulley having an adj ustab1e beveled member for varying its effective diameter; a fluid-filled cylinder and piston connected, one with the gate-controller, and the other with said adjustable pulley member; and means for supplying fluid under pressure at certain times to the several sides of said piston. 10

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of January, 1901.

JOHN STURGESS. Witnesses:

FRANK G. CURTIS, J AMES CONSIDINE. 

